Don't Tell Your Heart
by SILENTMUSINGS
Summary: There was only one person that left Randy Orton at a loss for words.
1. Chapter 1

**A bit of a New Year's present. (: I own nothing but Maggie. Credit to WWE/VinMac.  
Title credit to We The Kings.  
This'll be a multi-chapter, I'm hoping. It all depends on what you guys think.**

It was rare that Randy couldn't find one thing he disliked in one of his peers. It was even more rare that he was not able to find a single fault in that same person.

But then there was her. He loved everything in her that he would detest in others. The way that she wore small plastic clips in her hair that seemed only acceptable on a five year old, the way that she practically beamed all day every day, the way that it seemed a rare occurrence that she was not buzzing around the place socialising with everyone like some kind of bee. Never before her had he found someone who didn't immediately get on his nerves with any of those above traits. Somehow she was different.

She greeted him chirpily every time that they passed one another in the backstage area despite his reputation and the rumours that surrounded him. She sat and spoke with him. They discussed everything from their storylines to their families and their memories. Her laugh was like a million little bells ringing out and her chocolate brown eyes were as soft and inviting as an open fire in a snow storm. They drew him in and gave him a warm, tingling feeling inside, he guessed that it was what people were talking about when something made them 'melt,' for lack of a better term. When she was around he was not Randy Orton. He was plain Randy, no ego involved, no cross over from his on screen persona. It was a strange feeling.

He couldn't help but search her out each day and venue that they passed through. Some days he got lucky, somedays he didn't. So far nothing special had happened at all, there was no sight of her. Not at catering, not surrounding the locker rooms. On his way to the arena for his promo and match he spotted her walking in the opposite direction towards him; John Cena was following not too far behind.

"Hey girlie, gimme back my cap!" He called, bringing Randy's attention to the orange and blue hat that sat atop her head. It was clearly too big and fell down over her eyes every few steps she took. Without bothering to push it back, she instead walked with her chin stuck in the air, looking down her nose. He smiled a very un-Randy-like grin, amused as she seemed to notice him with whatever eyesight she was able to use.

"Yo Randy-O, dog! Where you been at, homie?"

He did not know whether to cringe or laugh at her poor impression.

"What are you doing, sweetheart?"

"Whatchoo mean?" She asked, keeping up her persona. She took off the cap and placed it, backwards, on his head instead. After taking it off she spoke normally, no strange accent or pronunciation.

"It looks better on you," A smile graced her face and Randy felt his heart flutter strangely. He would have kept it on all night just for the fact that she liked it, had John not snatched it straight off his head, much to her chagrin.

"You're such a party pooper, Cena! Just because Randy can wear it and not look like some kind of sherbert lolly."

"Whatever, if you want one you can buy one like everybody else."

"But why?" She stressed. "You have a million and you're just going to throw them out to people. Why not let me endorse you?"

Randy watched the interaction intently. The expressions that crossed her features were so animated that he almost didn't need to hear the words that came out of her mouth.

"Who knows what you'll do while you're wearing it! I might not want to be associated with that, y'know?"

A fake gasp sounded from her lips, the mere thought of her _lips_ in his head caused Randy's attention to linger longer than they probably should have. It was just as well that Cena didn't notice.

"I'm offended! Look at me: I'm an angel! Randy can vouch for me, can't you Randy?"

The two heads snapping in his direction caused Randy to readjust his focus. He'd gotten caught up for the moment and caught in that state; he just hoped it wasn't noticeable to anyone other than himself.

"Uh, sorry kid. You're a lot of things, but an angel isn't one of them."

Despite his words, angel was one thing that Maggie definitely was, in his opinion. Without the presence of John beside them he most likely would have admitted as much. Somehow she managed to create this perfect blend of sweetness and humour, of being giving but not letting herself become a pushover. He wasn't sure how she did it, but she made it possible. In his mind she definitely had to be some kind of angel to be so flawless.

"And to think I was going to give you the hat when he gave it to me! I feel like I've been ganged-up on." Her arms folded across her chest in exasperation. She wanted that hat so badly for reasons he had no understanding of. Perhaps to burn the awful thing; she couldn't honestly think that he'd wear it in public or anywhere at all when she wasn't around.

"You're the one who asked, Mags." John added, "You can't blame us for that."

"You know what, John?" She paused, struggling to think of exactly what it was she wanted John to know. "The Marine was a terrible movie!"

"You-"

"And even Randy would make a better actor than you!"

"What's this '_Even _Randy'? We're both actors already, when you think about it."

Yet again her head snapped in Randy's direction.

"You're supposed to be on my side about this!" Once again the expression upon her face made Randy pause. Her pout may have been feigned, but somehow it still managed to spread right to her eyes where it affected him the most. John had to have noticed it by now, he wasn't completely daft. He also refused to meet Cena's eye, which wouldn't help the matter. Despite that Randy may have been digging himself a deeper whole it was something he couldn't help. He was used to being Randy Orton: womaniser and 'Lady Killer,' not this Randy. He'd told himself that the side he was showing now would need to be buried. It couldn't further his career at all.

"I am, I am. Randy Orton is a superb actor. I just don't want you to go to any trouble for me, not over a hat that I'm not going to wear."

There it was again, that look on her face. Yet again it had been Randy that caused it to be there. He realised that he needed to quit now before she completely gave up on him like everybody else.

"The gorilla position's calling my name guys. I'll see you after my match."

Again not looking in either of his friends' eyes, Randy turned from their slight huddle and began walking back the way he'd been moving before the interruption. Halfway down the corridor and he thought he was home-free, but then he heard her calling his name. He couldn't deny her if his life depended on it.

"Randy, wait."

He turned, adjusting his sweatbands to seem engaged.

"Yes?"

"Good luck. Don't get hurt."

His voice wouldn't function if he tried, he knew that much. Instead he sufficed with a thin smile, turning around once more to get out of the situation. He was glad that she wasn't upset with him, but something told him to focus on something other than the elation, like his match. Afterwards he could begin to think of a way to get Maggie to like him as much as he did her; perhaps he'd enlist Cody and Ted to help him. Yes, that's what he would do.

Had he not been so far into his own thoughts maybe Randy would have heard the words that came out of John's mouth, had he heard them a lot of trouble would have been spared, but that's not how it goes.

***

"You want to tap that so bad."

Maggie swatted at the arm of the man whose cap she still desperately wanted to possess.

"What!? I can see it in your eyes."

"Whatever you say Cena."

"He likes you too."

The way her eyes flickered the moment after he revealed the truth said it all.

"No he doesn't. We're friends."

"Jake'll kill you, you know."

"I know."

* * *

**There you go, chapter one. I hope you like it so far. Reviews are always welcome 3 Much love.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part two. (: I don't own.**

Contrary to the popular belief road trips were not always as fun as they were portrayed in many a teen movie. The day that Randy, Cody and Ted had begun car pooling was the day that Randy realised as such.

At first it had been fine. The arrangement suited everybody and he didn't have to worry about the constant threat of the plane crashing and his body never being found; only occasionally did he now have to make use of that mode of travel. He'd never admit it verbally but Randy hated flying more than almost anything.

Then Cody's fixation with pop music (Brittany Spears and S Club 7) had become apparent, that and Ted's constant ramblings about his girlfriend made each trip almost unbearable. Randy had found out quite quickly that the trick was to make full use of his iPod during the legs of the journey that Cody sung less loudly. If it were the other way around the headache that seemed to constantly plague him became impossible to get rid of.

During this trip, though, he had a certain motivation for paying attention and actually speaking, if only he could hear himself think. It took three tries, but he was finally able to move their concentration from their individual focuses to the problem at hand.

"Boys, can you pay attention for a moment?"

Sensing the tone in his voice Ted quickly turned off the music, much to Cody's disgruntlement.

"What is it, Randy?"

"I need your help; both of you."

With that they had caught on and were listening intently for the next words that would come out of his mouth. He almost didn't want to divulge in them what he was still trying to understand himself. Okay, he _really_ didn't want to divulge to anyone at all the details of his secret, but that would get him nowhere, he knew that much. Gripping the steering wheel a little tighter, Randy breathed deeply, trying to summon the courage to continue. His knuckles were as white as Sheamus' skin was naturally pale but he couldn't ease his grip on the wheel.

"You know we're here to help, Randy."

"There's a girl."

Ted turned from his spot in the passenger seat, mouth gaping slightly. The silence seemed to drag on.

"You need our help... with a girl?"

Randy remained silent.

"But, you're Randy Orton, surely you-"

"Shut it, Ted." His gravelly voice advised growling slightly, a warning to which the younger man quickly paid attention to.

"So what do you need us to do, Randy? Who is she?" Cody's voice sounded from the back, an edge of excitement apparent that made Ted scoff.

"Who she is happens to be none of your business. And well she-"

"Oh, it's Maggie, isn't it? It's her; I knew it! C'mon Ted, you knew it too! Can you imagine-"

"Cody..."

"This could be good. Oh, I'm so good. I called it. I _so_ called it."

"CODY, SHUT IT."

"Oh, right. So what's the problem, man? We all know you two are meant to be like Chuck and Blair."

"Who the hell are Chuck and Blair?"

"Never mind. What's the problem?"

"Maggie's... she's special. The Lady Killer routine isn't enough and I-I want something more than just one night with her. I don't know what to do." With his teeth clenched through his whole confession, Randy hated that he was being so open. He sounded so soft and damn ridiculous and no one was meant to hear that side of him. Not even his family got to see Randy being so completely honest. He wished that he hadn't been so brash in bringing it up with the younger Legacy members but there was really nothing he could do now. Rhodes would get all excited and take it upon himself to be injected into the situation-he had the best intentions, but God the boy was irritating in large doses; Ted would take a more subtle approach (and one that had a higher chance of success than anything Cody so much as suggested). Either way they were somewhat involved now.

"What do you want us to do, Rand-" Ted began, but was cut off by an over-enthusiastic Cody.

"Ooh, I could write a list of her likes and dislikes-I could even make note of the stuff we talk about now so that we can brainstorm later. I am _so_ good at this thinking stuff."

Ted looked to Randy, who locked eyes with his for a moment, and simultaneously they rolled their eyes. It was best to let Cody feel like he was being helpful. They did not notice that he was already digging through the bag at his feet for a bit of spare paper.

"Don't worry, Rand." Ted reassured, "I'm sure we'll find a way to help you with Mr. Brains and Intelligence back there giving it his all. I just wonder, have you thought of just y'know, being yourself? Asking her on a date and seeing how it goes from there?"

_I don't know if 'just me' is enough for her_,the voice in Randy's head told him.

"I don't know, Ted. I'll see where things go."

Ted remained silent. If even Cody could see that Maggie and Randy were meant to be together it shouldn't be so complicated, right? He already knew that Maggie would do anything for his friend, and vice versa. But Ted was no meddler. They would figure it out on their own, whether in time or almost immediately. Either Randy would get sick of being so closed off about it or Maggie would be Maggie and be forward about it all. Those were the two options that he saw, unless Cody happened to come up with a brilliant plan. It wasn't particularly likely.

The rest of the trip passed quietly, with only the faint hum of the radio to break the silence between the three of them. Cody was hard at work scribbling in his notepad, Ted stared out the window tiredly and Randy concentrated on the road. This calmness was only interrupted when they stopped for some air and refreshments. Ted opened his door almost immediately, while Cody hadn't seemed to realise that the car had stopped.

"Cody," Ted called, poking his head back in through the door. "We're at a truck stop; you coming?"

The younger man's head shot up, "You mean food? Thank God! I could definitely use something to eat right now."

'You coming Randy?" Ted asked the other man; Cody had already raced out of the car.

"I think that I'll just stay here." Randy answered, digging into his pocket for spare change. "Get me a bottle of water, would you?"

Nodding and closing the door behind him, Ted followed Cody into the small store. It gave Randy a moment of non-interrupted peace. He didn't have to concentrate and he didn't have to worry about anyone else. A sigh escaped his lips at the calm he was surrounded by. He planned to use the few minutes to relax and perhaps even doze, but then a thought struck him; what exactly was it that Rhodes been furiously writing?

Turning in his seat, Randy's eyes happened upon the small notebook that had been left. He grabbed it, and the title to the opened page almost made him laugh. Almost.

**Operation: HEAFMAR (Happily Ever After For Maggie and Randy.)**

It only got better from that point.

_Aim: To devise a plan that sees Randy and Maggie happily united._

_Who: Randy and Maggie._

_What: A confession of their love, possible shotgun wedding, possible consummation of said love.  
Reality TV series co-starring Cody Rhodes may or may not be an option._

_When: ASAP._

_Where: Hawaiian tropics, live on Raw, anywhere that means that they stop beating around the bush. _

_Why: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Also, they belong together like Posh and Becks._

_Spliced name (for future reference): Magdy; Ranmag; Hagton._

_Plan: ?_

Basically, Cody had planned everything **but** a proper plan. For one, Randy had no clue who Posh and Becks were, neither did he feel that shotgun wedding was in the cards, but he couldn't question the kid's dedication; he could only really ask about the reason he wanted to help so desperately. The line about a reality television series? That was just not happening. Ted was right, letting Cody make a plan wasn't such a good idea.

Placing the pad back where he had found it, Randy turned again to face the front and prepare himself mentally for the rest of the trip. He could only imagine how interesting it would turn out to be.

* * *

Backstage at yet another house show, Maggie was eagerly awaiting some company. None of the Divas were there to ease her loneliness, Matt (more commonly known as Evan) and Mike were yet to arrive-as was anybody else with the exception of her brother Jake, or Jack Swagger. John wasn't around for her to annoy; not even her trusty Legacy boys had arrived yet. They, or he, were the ones she wanted to see more than anyone.

Her sulk was interrupted by a loud voice calling out from the end of the corridor she sat in the middle of, cross legged and wearing nothing but tights and an oversized v-neck tee shirt that hung off her small frame.

"MAGDALENE!"

She didn't even need to look in order to know who it was calling her full name. Only one person was ever allowed to that wasn't her mother.

"CODDLE BEAR, MY LOVE!"

Jumping to her feet, she ran into the awaiting arms of her friend, who picked her up and spun her around immediately. She held on for dear life, squeezing him and giggling madly, unaware of the small group watching the scene from behind them.

"Oh Magdalene Iris Hager, I have missed you with the fiery passion of a thousand suns!"

"I, too, have missed thee Cody Garrett Runnels, as a life without such undying love is dull and colourless, I shan't be able to live such a lie!"

"Follow me, dearest, as we descent through yonder window! We must escape this place and live, forever content with the eternal love we share!"

No matter how hard she had desperately tried not to, Maggie burst into laughter, throwing her head back slightly. She still held tightly around his neck and would only be happy to let go with her feet stuck back safely on the ground.

"Cody, there's no windows. Nice try," She managed through giggles.

"Oh blast! My plot has been foiled! No fear, sweet one! The stairwell serves just as great an exit strategy!"

With no warning what-so-ever he threw her body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and began running in the direction that he had come from, despite Maggie's shriek. Cody pushed through Randy, Ted and Jake, whose eyebrows were all raised at their interaction.

"Rhodes, bring my sister back, please! And in one piece!" Jake called, fearing it would fall upon deaf ears, but his ever over-excited friend came careening quickly back towards them, stopping as if his actions didn't seem completely strange to any outsiders who may have witnessed the dramatic scene unfold. No one ever seemed to question them, their banter was a common occurrence backstage and beyond.

"Never fear, brother of Magdalene. I would never break my love so carelessly."

Maggie, still giggling, was lifted down from Cody's shoulder.

"I love you, Coddle bear," she grinned, despite that her eyes were out of focus and she was staggering slightly. "I feel so dizzy right now."

She continued to sway unsteadily, until she tottered right into Randy. Ted and Cody noticed his eyes grow wide, if only for a single moment, and grinned to one another.

"Oh, wow. Luckily this wall..." Maggie paused while the surrounding group looked on, amused and waiting for her reaction. "Randy!"

"Hey sweetheart."

Her arms encircled around his waist. "I love you too. You can be my wall, right?"

"Whatever you need," In return to her forwardness his arm snaked around her shoulder. She snuggled in happily. "Oh, and did you ever get that hat you wanted?"

Her blissful happiness changed at his words.

"No!" She scoffed, "John was being such an ass."

"You want a Legacy hat?" Cody interjected. "You can have as many as you want, my love!"

"You're so wonderful, Coddles! You too, Ted, I love you both."

Ted rolled his eyes. "So how are you doin', Mag?"

"Well, Teddy, apart from being dizzy as hell I'm feeling quite excellent here with my boys. The only thing missing is Mikey."

"Am I not everything you need to survive, my dear beloved one?"

"Of course you are, Cody. I just want to give some other people some Maggie time, too."

"I understand... as long as you're still my woman, woman."

"You're the only man in my life, how can you be so terribly insecure about our bond, Cody?"

"How can you say such things when it's him you're clinging to?!" He cried while pointing a finger accusingly at Randy. His tone and actions were so overdramatic it was hard for everyone to stop themselves from bursting into laughter. Even Randy, whose feelings for Maggie were already quite known to certain people, thought they were a class act. He wasn't worried for one second.

"Leave the poor girl alone." Ted ordered with yet another roll of his eyes. All that it really did was cause the two to stick their tongues out at each other like children.

"Thank you Teddy. See Cody, he loves me more than he loves you." All that Cody could do in return was pout. "Aw! Don't worry, I love you my honeybunches."

At this the expression across Cody's face instantly changed from downcast to glowing.

"Easily satisfied," Ted muttered, but Cody caught his words and punched him in the arm. Before she could see the scuffle that would ensue Maggie tucked her head into Randy's chest to muffle the giggles that seemed unavoidable around the misfit group. She instantly knew she should have pulled away when the man she was leaning against began rubbing circles on her shoulder; it seemed like too much, but she couldn't.

"I love you too Randy, just in case you felt left out. You're my Thunder-thighs! And Jake! I love you like a brother... mainly because you are."

Jake rolled his eyes. He would always swear that one of them had been adopted. He loved her like crazy, but she was such a dick sometimes.

"And I love you like the sister I never had."

"That means so much to me, Jakeypants."

It didn't take long at all for the group to divide off in their individual conversations. Well, mostly Ted, Cody and Jake spoke about some 'awesome' X-Box game that had been released recently while Randy and Maggie acted as though they knew what they were talking about. They stood off to the side rather quietly, nodding their heads when it seemed appropriate. Maggie's arms were still around his middle and Randy's arm was still draped over her shoulder as if it was the natural way for them to be.

"Thunder-thighs?" He whispered into her ear. It caused a shiver to go all the way down her spine, but she'd never tell anyone that.

"Have you seen yourself on TV? Those things could take out the armed forces."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not."

"Don't worry, Randy. It's very endearing. You also have quite childbearing hips; it's a great combination for a woman like yourself."

"A woman... like me?"

"Oh, we all know your secret obsession with the Spice Girls. It's okay to be who you are, Randy."

"Don't make me throw you over my shoulder and do a Rhodes."

"I'm not sure your slender frame could handle my weight, anyways."

Randy growled lightly and ruffled her hair, it didn't take much at all for it to look like a birds nest.

"Watch it, Mags. You're questioning his manhood here." A voice from behind Randy interrupted.

"Mikey! You're here!"

Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin and Maggie were almost as close, if not just as close, as Cody and Maggie. Despite being two very different people they'd bonded on Raw, having been drafted around the same time and both been on ECW beforehand. At the sound of his voice Maggie immediately disentangled herself from Randy's limbs and rushed over to replace them with the other man's.

"You want to come to catering with me and we can catch up and gossip and all the good stuff?"

"Sure thing, Mags."

"Okay boys, I'll see you guys later!"

After she and Mike had walked off without as much as a single glance back Randy could sense all his friends sniggering.

"How did that feel, Randy?"

"Shut up, Rhodes."

**R&R :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a bit of a filler chapter, character building and all that. :3**

Maggie Hager was a simple girl. All she needed was her friends, her family, the ability to wrestle and her favourite stuffed sea turtle (Reginald) in order to be happy. Dr. Phil didn't hurt too badly either... and she wouldn't mind having an unlimited collection of Brad Pitt movies. Okay, so maybe there was a few of the smaller pleasures in life that she loved, but wasn't that the case with everyone? She could easily substitute those things with the ones she just couldn't live without. It didn't really hurt that her friends were just as good looking as her beloved Brad and just as great therapists as Philly. She could get over the loss with their help, eventually. They were just so great like that.

It was no secret that her friends meant the world to her and more. That much was evident by the way that she made spontaneous purchases when reminded of them, the way that she often wrote them random letters about how she wanted to open a marine park one day or how much she loved making figures out of Blu-Tac in colourful gel pens when she was supposed to be in essential meetings or some crucial family gathering, the way that she would bake a cake (or two... just in case) at even the mention of a special occasion. It was no wonder she had made so many friends in her short tenure so far in the WWE.

It was also evident by the amount of time she spent visiting her friends that she missed from the other brands of the company. Being traded from ECW to Raw meant leaving many of her friends. Even her Smackdown buddies that she only really knew from backstage.

As usual when the brands all filmed in the same town Maggie decided to stay a few extra days for the Tuesday's TV taping in order to spend some much needed quality time with her people, accompanied by her brother and travel partner Jake, of course... While many of the other wrestlers were taking a day to recover from the previous night's show, Maggie had so many important things to attend to on her agenda.

Being greeted happily by the backstage crew each time she made a visit only helped to make the place instantly feel like she had come back home once more. The familiar faces of Raw were replaced with the even more recognisable faces of her other good friends. Whether it was an upgrade or not, Maggie certainly wasn't anywhere close to complaining. On the contrary, she loved to mix it up. Even if it was only for one night at a time.

A bag of sour jelly snakes in hand, she navigated her way through the many corridors of the arena, humming happily to herself. She was quite content just to explore the place alone, because in her mind that was all she was doing. She wasn't lost... no, not at all. She was just exploring. She had been for half an hour. Honestly, she didn't remember the place being so complicated the night before. That was possibly because she didn't wander into any direction that she saw fit to in search of a bathroom. Maggie wasn't so good with directions.

As if on cue she saw two familiar silhouettes up ahead and an instant feeling of relief washed over her. So maybe it wasn't as much like one of those predictable thriller movies as she had been thinking. She could recognise that cape anywhere.

"Y2Juicy! Heeelms!" She called, bouncing down the corridor with incredible zest.

The two turned from their conversation, and the grin that automatically jumped to each of their faces only further ignited that warm feeling of being at home with family. She felt like glowing.

Standing on her tip-toes once she had approached, Maggie threw an arm around each of their shoulders.

"How are my two favourite boysies?"

Chris's face was lit up, as always. His features were animated as he, too, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek in greeting.

"Well I'm not sure about Shane, but I feel better now that you're here."

"Aw, I missed you too, Chris! And you, Shaney! I love you both. I don't know how I'm able to survive without you."

"Girlie, I think we're the ones having trouble without you." Shane told, his arm around her waist. "You and your baking and your pretty face."

Just as Chris has kissed her cheek Maggie leant to kiss the Hurricane's. "You're such a sweetie, Helmsey."

"So they're treating you good up on the A-show?" Maggie leant her head on Chris's shoulder and shrugged. It wasn't really something she'd taken notice of during her time at Raw. People were... well they were people.

"Yeah, it's great. I made a whole lot of new friends, but between you and me I haven't made any of them cupcakes yet, except Cody and Jake and Mike. I wouldn't have made Cody any but have you met him? He's the greatest person ever, and well, I couldn't help but make Mike some because he was going to spill my secret otherwise and I'd be baking cakes like crazy. You guys are the only people I ever want to make special turtle cakes for."

"Well we feel privileged, love."

"Oh shush, I'm not that special. So... where's my buddy K.K.?"

"...K.K.? Mags, I don't think I know a K.K."

"You know, Mr. Captain Charisma."

The two men looked at one another, their eyebrows raised and heads tilted in both confusion and wonder. Shane decided to be the one to break the silence.

"Uh, sweetheart, neither of those words starts with a 'k,'"

Maggie looked at him with the same blank expression they had given her.

"But... He... But."

"It's okay, love. We all have those moments." Chris patted her back reassuringly, as though she were coming to terms with some great loss. "Come on, we'll help you find him."

"You don't need to do that! I'm sure you two are extra busy tonight. I'll just use my exceptionally awesome tracking abilities to find him."

"Tracking abilities?"

"I'm like a sniffer dog. You guys know that I have an excellent sense of direction."

"Aside from the fact that you got me lost in a costume store last year, and when we went on that massive road trip, Maggie why would that be necessary when I already know that he's in catering?"

Maggie scrunched up her nose. He could have told her that in the first place. It wasn't that she was itching to see the ECW champion once again, but, well, she was. Jay Reso was the man who had trained with her and taught her everything that he could until she got to the point that she was at in the business. He was also the person that she'd always felt closest to. She didn't know whether he was some kind of a substitute for Jake when he wasn't around or just a really good friend to her from the get-go, but she missed Jay even more than she had missed Chris and Shane. She couldn't hide the fact that she was itching to see him for very long at all.

"Well come on then! Come on! I won't hesitate to drag you."

"Enthusiastic, much?" Was Shane's reply, but Maggie was already half way down the corridor and showed no sign of slowing down at all.

"Don't make me ask again!"

It was barely minutes later and they had arrived at the catering room. Maggie spent no time in trying to pull the doors open, before realising that it was a push door, and bursting into the room, her two friends at her heels. Immediately she began searching around the room for Jay. She was interrupted from her goal by squealing Divas and many people greeting her back to the show, if only for one night. Maggie had never been someone who could turn another person away, so she stayed to chat idly to her friends and co-workers until they had to leave, but there was something on her mind the whole time. When it got to the point where she was afraid that he'd have left already Maggie decided to be a little more proactive in her search.

"Hey Matt, I'm sorry but I need to find my buddy Jay. Do you know where he is?" She interrupted the elder and less troubled Hardy from telling some story about the previous episode of The Hardy Show that he had uploaded online. Truthfully she'd never watched the thing and had no idea what he was talking about.

"No problem, Maggie. I think he's... Oh, he's over there."

Following the direction that Matts finger indicated, Maggie was overjoyed to see her friend sitting at a table by himself (okay, that part wasn't so joyous, in fact it broke her heart a little) texting someone furiously.

Instead of her usual exclaimed greeting Maggie approached the plastic picnic table without a word. A large smile atop her face, she sat across from him and observed as he continued texting, concentrating too hard to notice her presence.

It was only when she broke out singing 'Mmmbop' that his head snapped up and his face immediately broke out in a grin.

"Mags! You- What are you doing here?!"

"Surprise!" She sang, opening her arms. "I wanted to make a visit to see all you guys and it doesn't hurt that it's your birthday soon and I'm not sure about either of our schedules then so I wanted to see you now just in case I don't get to see you then and I'm sorry if you're busy and I won't bother you if you are, I'll go hang out with Chris, but I bought you a cupcake. I had to save it from Jake for you 'cause he was all 'I'm your brother, you should give me stuff,' and I was all 'But you're no Jay!' and I had to sneak it away from him but I wanted to and-"

"Hey, calm down. I'm not busy at all. I was just texting Randy actually... about you. But a cupcake? That sounds so perfect right now. I'm glad you're here, Mags."

Maggie quickly pulled a Tupperware container out of her bag and passed it to him, the grin still not having been wiped from her features.

"I'm glad I'm here, too. Raw's nice, but I miss you guys here. When's the draft happening, again?"

Jay laughed lightly and opened up the container. Inside were two cupcakes, one her signature 'turtle-cake' with green icing and edible decorations, while the other had the icing face of a lion that held surprising resemblance to Jay and his yellow-blonde hair and matching fake tan.

"Oh wow, Mags, they're amazing-like always."

"Thanks," She smiled even more brightly. "Jake was watching a TV special on that Christian the lion story and it just seemed so perfect that I couldn't help myself. And what's this about texting Randy about me?"

"Well I can't lie, the guy is seriously crazy about you. He was telling me to feel fortunate that you're here with me for the night because he wishes you were there with him."

"Really?"

"No. He actually said that it's suspiciously quiet without you there, but that's what he wanted to say and I know that's what he's been thinking."

Maggie sighed, looking to her lap.

"Everyone seems to think that Randy and I are in love and are going to end up with a million pretty babies, but why would he want someone like me? Especially when there are people like Maryse around to-"

"Hey!' Jay stopped her, and moved to sit beside her on the bench. "As lovely as Maryse is, you're ten times as amazing and gorgeous as she is; don't doubt that for a second. Maggie you're special. Everyone can see that."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do! Remember what you said when we first met?"

"'Hi, my name's Maggie Hager'?"

"...After that."

"'I'm your number one Peep'?"

"Mhmm. Well, I'm _your_ number one fan, Mags."

She couldn't help but throw her arms around him at his words. Really, she couldn't.

"What did I do to deserve an amazingly amazing friend like you, Jay? It must have been good."

"Tell me about it."

"Well now that we've had our little sentimental moment you can tell me why you're sitting here all alone and whether or not I need to bust somebody's ass for you."

**Reviews are lovely (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not sure I like this chapter too much, but here it is. (:**

"It's my birthday soon."

"Really? What date?"

"July 13th. One day after Helmsey."

"Sweetheart, it's November right now."

"Yes, yes it is."

"...That's over half a year until it is _actually_ almost your birthday."

"What's wrong with a little planning ahead? I mean, I already know what I want."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"A barrel of monkeys."

Randy and Maggie were sitting on a set of steps that exited the backstage area of the venue. Maggie wore one of his hoodies (that was largely oversized on her; she wore it anyway) over the top of her ring outfit. Her request for more suitable winter gear had been denied, much to her chagrin. Then again, if she had gotten her way she would have dressed up like an Eskimo. Winter is obviously not the best time of the year in Maggie's eyes. Instead of complaining she sat with Randy, the entire side length of their bodies touching, from their knees to their ankles. In trying to keep the cold away from her already sensitive skin, Maggie had tucked her knees into her folded arms and to complete the picture her head also rested on top. She had rolled into the perfect little ball. Randy, on the other hand, leant his forearms on top of his thighs and folded his hands in between.

"You want a barrel of monkeys?" He asked, incredulously.

"Uh huh"

"Nothing more?" He questioned again, trying to understand her logic. She did realise that monkeys in a barrel cost about two dollars? He'd be a lot more generous with her gift. Heck, he'd give her the whole world.

"What; is something wrong with monkeys?" The confused expression on her face made Randy sigh, he could never say anything to intentionally make her unhappy. It was impossible.

"Nothing's _wrong_ with them, it's just... you could ask for a car or new house; heck, even a title run! But you want a barrel of monkeys?"

She shrugged and replied simply: "I don't like people spending a lot of money on me."

'_I'd spend my entire fortune on you if you'd let me.'_ Randy let himself think, before forcing his mind back into the present situation.

"You do realise that basically every person in this company will want to spoil you when the time comes?"

Maggie's nose scrunched unhappily. She didn't reply, but Randy knew what she was trying to say without needing to hear it.

"A girl that doesn't like being spoiled? You cannot be serious. You're a strange one, Hager."

Maggie giggled and bumped Randy playfully with her shoulder. "You know that's not me. I'm a low maintenance, country girl."

Now it was Randy's turn to laugh. "Whatever you say, sweetheart."

The two were enveloped in silence. It wasn't awkward at all, even for Maggie who personally felt that every silence was there to be filled-usually with her mindless ramblings. She also liked to use them as an opportunity to show off her not-so-extraordinary singing ability, this usually involved singing a duet with Cody or Mike-depending on whether she could guilt trip the latter into doing so.

With Randy it was different; at least at that moment. She just wanted to be there and spend the moment with him. This wasn't a Maggie that usually emerged. She wasn't even making up for the silence by bouncing her knee or looking as though she wanted to start jumping up and down. For once she was content just to sit and take it in. Even if he ended up thinking that she was sick because she happened to be acting so far out of character.

Randy didn't know what to say. Usually he was a man of few words, and a man quite happy to stay that way. At that moment, though, he wanted to speak, he wanted to hear her voice. He wanted to learn something more about her and for her to be interested in finding out something new about him. He couldn't make up his mind, he was itching to speak once more, but sitting there with her was so peaceful. He had to get ready for his match soon, but Randy wanted to delay having to leave as long as possible. His nervous excitement showed through the bouncing of his knee.

With a low sigh, Maggie leant her body on his, taking comfort in his enticing warmth.

Finally Maggie decided to break the silence she had found herself enjoying such a surprising amount. "Randy."

"Yes, love?"

"Will you take me to an aquarium sometime? Mike's afraid of the ocean."

"... Maybe I'll take you for your birthday."

Maggie looked at him pointedly. She seemed greatly unamused until she noticed the joking smirk atop his features. "Well as long as you get me some monkeys, too."

"I don't know, you drive a hard bargin."

"I do not! Like I said, I'm just a country girl."

Randy scoffed jokingly. "You're about as much of a country girl as Maryse is low-maintenance."

A look flashed across Maggie's face that Randy couldn't quite recognise. The look vanished before he could either ask what was wrong or apologise, but he still wanted to do both of these things. Something about that look made him realise that he had done something wrong. He didn't know what it was exactly, but there was something.

"Maggie, I-"

Before he could finish she interrupted. "I think I should probably go find Mike. His match should be finished now."

Without another look at Randy she got up from her place beside him and began to walk back into the venue. The one thing that got to him was that there was no hug goodbye, no ecstatic smile on her face as was usual. That wasn't the Maggie that he knew and loved.

Wait... loved? Randy groaned. He was getting himself into more and more trouble as each day went by. Even Cody's plan was looking like a good option.

* * *

"I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, sweetheart," Mike comforted, his arms wrapped tightly around the visibly upset girl. He hadn't even had a chance to wipe himself of the sweat that had accumulated all over his body once he returned backstage; he was immediately tackled in a hug by a very familiar small Diva.

He had swept her away to his locker room where they currently sat, in a tangled heap on the floor.

"Mikey, why is it always _her_? Should I start spending all my money on surgeries, too?"

"No! Don't even think of that, silly."

"What should I do then? I'm obviously not good enough if he keeps bringing up _her_ and _her jokes_ and _her looks._ What's wrong with me?"

"Oh come off it. Nothing's wrong with you, Mags. You're _awesome_, who else would I choose as my best girlie friend?"

"Ma-"

"Don't even."

Maggie sighed and buried her head into his chest, she didn't care that he was wearing next to nothing; or that his skin currently felt sticky and would most likely give her the need for a shower very soon. She just needed her best friend.

"People keep saying things like that: 'Maggie, you're amazing,' and 'Don't say anything bad about yourself, because there really is nothing bad about you,' but why? Why doesn't he see that?"

Mike couldn't tell her that he did see it, that everyone knew that he did see it. Randy had to man up and tell her himself. Apparently he also needed to get a clue. He wasn't so daft to mention Maryse, surely? Not when he and Maggie were obviously meant to be. Surely he could see that Maggie had so much insecurity in the business and in herself, even when she tried to hide it. Whether Mike was happy with the idea of them ending up together or not was a topic for another day.

"I don't know, Maggie. He's just a stupid boy." The last part was true in his mind, at least. "How about this, we're both finished for the night so why don't I clean myself up, then I'll go and tell Jake that you're coming with me, you can go get your bags and then we can go back to the hotel and watch some movies?"

Maggie looked up at him through her lashes, a hint of hope in her eyes. "Hercules?"

"We can watch whatever you want."

She nodded and hugged him tighter for a moment, before allowing herself to be disentangled from around his body. The two of them got up from their places, Mike moving to the showers while Maggie sat down on one of the benches that ran around the edge of the room.

"Mikey?" She called, to which he stuck his head out of the door. "... We can watch Stepbrothers if you want."

Mike couldn't help but smile lovingly at his friend at the offer of watching his favourite movie. "We don't have to, Mags. It's your night tonight." With that he ducked his head back into the bathroom, not noticing that Maggie's face held the very same smile.

"But I want to." She said more to herself than anyone else. She was lucky to have a friend like Mike. As with Jay she loved him like a brother, but unlike with her actual brother she felt could actually talk to the two of them about anything. There was no way she could admit half the things that she would admit to Mike to her actual brother. She didn't know what she would do without either of them, but it was a little different with Mike. He was, well he was her guy. Despite that their personalities would usually clash; him being sarcastic and mostly known for his attitude while Maggie was more known for not being able to hurt a fly and how innocent she could be. They just worked together. Perhaps it was because they were both so loud, usually.

Not even ten minutes later Mike was all cleaned up and ready to go. Maggie had already exchanged a pair of pants for her ring gear and discarded Randy's hoodie in favour of her own earlier.

Mike walked her to the Diva's locker room, before heading off to find her brother and let him know what was happening. Luckily for Maggie there was no bouncing Diva in sight. She wanted to be out of there as soon as she possibly could be without the distraction of the usual locker room talk. All that she wanted to do was grab her bag and go wait for Mike, but something stopped her.

A neatly wrapped parcel sat on top of her sports bag. Now, everybody knew that she was a curious person, so it wouldn't be a great surprise to anyone that despite the terrible mood that she was in Maggie immediately began to rip at the packaging until the gift (so obviously for her) sat in her hands, in all its glory.

"You coming, Mags?" She heard Mike's voice from the doorway.

"Yep, I'm ready." She replied, turning to him with a wide smile on her face.

He didn't understand what had put her in a good mood all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the thing she cradled so delicately. But no, it could be... After all, it was only a barrel of monkeys.

**Reviews are lovely. c:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this took so long. This time see the bottom for some important notes!**

"You got a two?"

"Go fish."

Mike and Maggie sat playing 'Go Fish' the next day. Mike agreed mostly to humour her; to keep his best friend happy. He knew that the barrel of monkeys had somehow lifted her spirits the previous day, but in his eyes it was still pretty touch-and-go. That lost look in her eyes was something that he just couldn't pretend not to have seen when it clouded her usually ecstatic features. It was similar to if he decided to go to the ring and tell the crowd that he was sorry for all the mistakes that he had made (and not even call them 'miztakes') and apologise for all the crap that he had said over the years. It just shouldn't happen.

"Ten?"

Maggie groaned and threw her card on the bed between them. This meant that Mike was down to one card while she was stuck with eleven. She wasn't very good at cards, only solitaire on her iPod, she just figured that there was no way Mike would be better than she was. He had all the patience of a two year old.

Moving his head from where it had been propped up by his fist, Mike looked to his petite friend. "How about we just call it a tie and go to the pool or see if there's somewhere we can play football?"

The sentence all but proved Maggie's theory and she could do nothing but smile and nod enthusiastically, happy with whatever she would be able to get. She bounced off the bed and tried to scrunch her feet into an old pair of sneakers; she already wore her bathing suit underneath her clothes for such an occasion. Now she was set for whatever it was they ended up doing.

Mike deserved more credit than he gathered for being an amazing friend. It had been all too easy for him to notice Maggie's growing irritation with the game-mostly the losing part. Despite that he did come across as an arrogant, competitive asshole those traits were ever so slightly exaggerated on screen. It was like with Maggie. At first meeting her was like meeting a loud, over the top child, but there was so much more to her, so much depth, so much loving; so much insecurity.

After yanking the hotel room door open with such force that she had to keep a hold of the frame in order to keep herself grounded, Maggie was ecstatic to see one of her favourite people in the whole world.

"Coddlebear!"

Mike rolled his eyes as their typical greeting was repeated once again, before Maggie invited Cody to join them in their fun.

* * *

A knock on the door broke Randy out of his thoughts. He had just gotten out of the shower and wondered if maybe it was his chance for a moment alone. He had no idea where John was, nor did he particularly care to find out. Lately it had seemed that he was so busy twenty four hours a day, seven days a week that he barely had five seconds just to _be_. Even in the shower his mind was going a hundred miles a minute. Between meetings with creative, with Vince, training, practicing, interviews and appearances he was practically exhausted – and that didn't even include shows or travelling. Never, though, would he tell a soul.

Apparently his time alone was not meant to be. The knocking only greet louder every few moments that he did not answer it.

With a growl he walked to the door and pulled it open, hardly surprised to see the expectant faces of three superstars looking back at him. Carlito, Ted and Jake stood, obviously expecting some kind of welcoming greeting. Randy did nothing but raise an eyebrow at their presence.

"Randy," Ted began, realising that they were not going to be acknowledged straight away. "A bunch of the guys are going to go to a club tonight and we were wondering if you perhaps wanted to come with us?"

Eyes jumping from one man to the other, Randy didn't know what to say. A night with the guys always meant a good time was in store, but was it worth his one night to himself?

"Who's going?" He asked, wanting more information before he made a decision.

"Well, there's us, John, Kofi, Matt, Cody and Mike, whoever agrees really."

"No Divas?"

"No, not unless they coincidentally show up at the same place. Maggie was playing football in the corridor with Mike and Cody when we caught up with them, but she said something about an 'essential' movie she had to watch tonight or something."

Randy didn't know whether Ted had brought Maggie up intentionally, but it sure felt like it. Randy realised that this may be his chance to get her alone for the first time in a while.

Ted, of course, knew that when Randy said 'Divas' there was only really one person on his mind. Unlike everybody else that seemed to want to help their relationship blossom, he could be subtle when he needed to be; Randy was much more likely to do something when he felt he wasn't being pushed.

"I don't know guys, you'll have fun without me. I'm pretty exhausted right now."

"Suit yourself." Jake responded and the three walked away, chattering together. Unbeknown to any of them, let alone Randy, Ted's theory had been proved correct and he was silently patting himself on the back. Cody could plan their wedding all he wanted, but he was the one getting the job done.

* * *

It was later that night; Maggie wasn't really one to take notice of the time when she had no commitments to keep up with. Even then she was usually too fixated on trying to figure out exactly how to play Sudoku or finding somewhere to get a blue lemonade slushie. Focus outside of her favourite four sided ring was almost impossible at times for the small girl. She tried, but it just wasn't generally in her power.

There were a few occasions in which this did not apply; if someone was showing her a magic trick, for example.

Another exception was if she happened to decide to watch her favourite childhood movie. The Land Before Time was to Maggie what Linus' (of Peanuts) security blanket was to him: essential for living and breathing.

The prospect of a night during which she could watch it was the greatest news that Maggie had heard in a while. She and Mike had watched movies together the night before, but this was a movie she couldn't watch without tears streaming down her face the whole time. She found it best to watch alone in fear of embarrassment.

No sooner had she put the DVD disc into the player, however, when a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Come in," She called. "It's unlocked."

It was then that she found herself face to face with Randy. She hadn't seen him since the previous day, the incident on the stairs.

"Hi," Her small voice greeted from her place next to the television. Her eyes flickered and met his for a moment before she got to her feet, remote in hand, and walked to her bed.

"Maggie, I'm sorry about yesterday." He apologised immediately. "I didn't mean to upset you. I really didn't."

"It's okay Randy, it wasn't you. I was being silly."

"Don't say that..." He replied, shaking his head and moving closer to her, kneeling down in front of where she sat. As he spoke next he reached up to tuck a piece of hair out of her face. "Everyone else has gone out tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time together; just you and me."

Looking into his eyes, Maggie forgot exactly where she was for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat and she almost didn't hear what he said. In a sad attempt to distract herself she forced her eyes away, to find something else to capture her attention. She had been so close to leaning in to her friend (though 'pouncing' would be the correct term) and _kissing_ him! Kissing Randy... kissing a boy! That was so unacceptable that she didn't even know what to do with herself. It was his eyes, they were just so beautiful.

"I, um, I was just gonna stay here and watch a movie." She excused, and Randy's eyes darted past her to the box of tissues and tub of ice cream awaiting her. He looked at her in confusion.

"I thought you said 'The Notebook' was boring?"

Maggie giggled. "It is. I'm not watching that movie ever again."

"Oh, okay. Well I guess we could do something another night then?" Randy had gotten up from his place and begun making his way back the few steps to the door. Maggie felt both her heart and her head tugging at her.

"Wait," She said, almost as quietly as when she had first addressed him. "You don't have to leave, you can keep me company." Patting the bed beside her in an inviting gesture, she smiled brightly at him. Randy shrugged, the same happy grin on his face at seeing that smile again, and retraced his steps until he was beside her once more.

An hour later the two lay there beside one another, Randy's arm around her snugly. He had spent the entire movie comforting her, drying her tears and observing the delighted look on her face. Never before had he seen a movie, let alone a child's film made so many years ago, get to a person so much. By the way she reacted one would think it should deserve an Oscar. Despite that he could only guess how many times she had already watched the film she still gasped at points and giggled uncontrollably in others. She fascinated him.

After the movie had finished they lapsed into a comfortable silence. It was only then that he looked down and realised that Maggie was asleep, tucked into the crook of his neck while he traced patterns on her shoulder. He kissed her head delicately before reaching over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. Now lapsed in darkness, he found himself drifting off to sleep with the thought that he was where he belonged.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that this took so long to get up. Muse kills me sometimes. Anyway, as an 'I'm sorry!' present I have a sneak peek for y'all of the new story I have in the works. I'm really excited about this one, guys. (: It's only small, but yeah. Here's a little blurb.  
**

**'Kadee Nash shocks the entire wrestling world when instead of following the path so obviously laid out for her she defies her friends and family by joining the ranks of WWE superstars. Dealing with a father who won't even talk to her, an entire locker room wondering about her true intentions and an inclination for trouble has never been more difficult for the hot-headed girl who had been trained by some of the very best wrestlers in history. Will she prove herself after stepping out from behind her father's overprotective shadow? What (or who) will change her in ways she didn't even think possible?'**

**Brief overview FTW :3 Who do you think is our leading man going to be? What are you expecting to see happen? Give me your thoughts and stay tuned! Reviews are always welcome 3  
**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning when Randy woke up he found himself completely alone. Maggie was nowhere in sight and he was surrounded by nothing but complete silence.

Sitting up in the bed he found that two things had changed since the night before. The first was that his pants and shirt had been moved from where he had discarded them on the floor and were now folded neatly on the edge of the bed. That's when it hit him. He and Maggie had shared the same bed, they had cuddled and somehow wound up wrapped in one another's arms as they slept. They had each been wearing next to nothing. Perhaps that meant... no, it couldn't.

The second thing that caught his attention was a piece of paper and a bowl on the table beside where his head had been laying. Randy picked up the letter first and saw Maggie's messy scrawl. She wrote in all capitals and put in the effort of drawing him a little scribble of a dinosaur. It brought a smile to his face.

_THUNDERTHIGHS! _It read, _OR SHOULD I NOW CALL YOU SLEEPING BEAUTY? I'LL ASK TEDDY WHEN I SEE HIM. ANYWAYS, YO. YOU LOOKED SO PRETTY THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO WAKE YOU. I THINK I KEPT YOU UP PAST YOUR BEDTIME WITH MY CRAZY EMOTIONAL RAMBLING SO I'LL LET YOU WAKE UP BY YO!SELF. I TOOK THE INITIATIVE OF GRABBING YOU SOME BREAKFAST. I HOPE IT'S ALRIGHT._

Randy took that moment to look at exactly what it was she had gotten for him, his eyes darting away from the note for a moment. Inside the bowl was some basic cereal, it was what was on top that he enjoyed. A banana and two strawberries were specifically placed to form a smiling face. That was so like Maggie.

_IF I'M NOT THERE WHEN YOU WAKE UP IT MEANS THAT I'VE GONE TO THE GYM DOWN THE ROAD, OR THAT I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED, RAPED AND POSSIBLY MURDERED. THE FIRST CHOICE IS YOUR BEST BET, THOUGH (: I'LL SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU TODAY. I GUESS. GOOD MORNING, LOVE YOUR FAVOURITE MOST AWESOMEST GIRL EVER. MAGGIE_

Folding the note carefully, Randy decided to get dressed before eating the breakfast she had gone to so much trouble to organise for him. He tucked the piece of paper carefully into his wallet, which he had pulled out of the front pocket of his jeans. That was definitely not something he was going to discard; he was even growing accustomed to the 'Thunderthighs' nickname that he was hearing so often when she was around.

After he had finished, though honestly he did not want to touch the food-it was a masterpiece, Randy went back to his own room to grab his gym bag, hoping that he could possibly catch Maggie there still. He suddenly got the distinct feeling that he was turning into a teenager. It was like waiting next to the pretty cheerleader's locker for a simple hello-not that Randy would know what that was like, of course. He was as much of a ladies' man back then as he ever had been after, that's what he wanted people to think anyway.

As soon as he entered his room he was greeted by an awake Ted, who gave him that all-knowing smirk.

"And where have you been?" He questioned, knowing full well where Randy had been the previous night.

"One, why begin a sentence with 'and' when you hadn't said anything before that? And two, it's really none of your business. Heck, three: why are you in my hotel room?"

Unaffected by Randy's tone, Cody, who he had not noticed until he piped in, decided that it was time to give him a little bit of advice; **the** advice.

"Well, I just hope that you decided to wrap it before you tapped it, man."

Randy stopped what he was doing to stare fiercely in the direction of his friend. The glare that he sent his way was practically withering, but Cody was used to it at that point.

"I thought you were her friend?" He questioned, venom befitting of his in-ring nickname laced his tone. He hated that people automatically assumed that he would be the same with Maggie as he was with every other girl; Maggie was not one of those girls to him. He would never consider anything of the sort; he couldn't even let the thought cross his mind, not when she was just so damn precious.

"I am her friend, but you're the one that's in love with her."

Ted punched their imbecile friend for being so dim-witted. He'd have to have a talk with him about subtlety when Randy left.

"So, do you have any idea where Cena is? He hasn't been back here at all, but his stuff's here." Ted's attempt at diffusing the tension didn't do too much at all, as Randy's only reply was a grunt and Cody was still nursing his arm tenderly.

"I'm going to the gym." Randy excused himself, having thrown his bag over his shoulder. Without saying another word, or waiting for either Cody or Ted's reply, he pulled the door open and slammed it with such an astounding force that the walls practically shook in their foundations.

"Well, he's not in a good mood."

Ted gave Cody the same look that he had numerous times already and barely stopped himself from punching his friend in the arm once again. Instead he simply followed Randy out the door, despite that he was long gone already.

In no time at all Randy's legs had carried him to the gym that Maggie had mentioned. At that point he was so ready for an extreme workout to get out his frustration. Cody was a great guy and all, but he had an amazing ability for getting on people's nerves. Everybody except Maggie, that is.

After signing in to the gym, paying the right amount of money and quickly getting changed he began his search. It was Maggie; he figured that she shouldn't be too hard to find, what with her loud temperament and extremely disruptive nature. Randy guessed that he would hear her before he saw her.

As he expected Randy was able to find Maggie the moment he stepped into the 'general admittance' room-mostly because she was the only person there. The music that she was blasting (he had no idea what it was, but it was some techno song that had something to do with a clock) was loud enough that he couldn't hear his own thoughts, but that was not what caught his attention.

What did, though, was the fact that whatever Maggie was doing, he was pretty sure that it didn't fall under the category of working out. She danced around, shaking her hips and inventing strange moves that Randy didn't think he had ever witnessed before. Either her dorky dancing was intentional, or she was just plain hilarious. He gathered that it was the former, but then again this was Maggie. Even when she did the most ridiculous things he had ever seen she was always a hundred and fifty percent serious about it. From the look on her face she was having the time of her life.

Randy chose not to say anything, not until the end of the song, anyway. He simply watched her dance around, a silly grin on both his and her face even though she presumably had no clue that he was watching her.

It didn't take him very long at all to realise just how creepy that sounded. He stood there _watching_ her. Leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded as they were didn't soften his realisation that he was acting more than a little disturbing at that point. As soon as the song finished he made a point to clear his throat loudly.

"Am I interrupting?" He questioned, hoping that it was the safest way to announce his presence.

Maggie turned to him, slightly out of breath. Instead of a deep blush coming to her cheeks, as he had expected, her grin only grew as he fell into her sight. She did not move towards him, but as the next song began only a moment later she held her hand out for him to take. Randy did not do so, but he moved closer all the same.

"You want to join me?" She invited, her voice was barely above a whisper. Somehow he still heard her despite just how loud the music was turned up. It didn't even cross his mind that perhaps this was a telling sign of how much he esteemed her over everyone else; even himself. Randy did nothing but stand there, his arms still folded over his chest and a look which he hoped seemed to show that he was unamused on his features. In all reality he was _very_ amused, he just wasn't letting it show.

Maggie, not being so easily put off, danced towards him in her own individual-Maggie way. When she began to lip synch it surprised him more than anything else; the girl had no shame. It wasn't actually that she was silently singing the words, it was the words that she was singing. The song was so provocative! It was definitely not showing the Maggie that he knew. It was all about sex, and there were so many innuendos! She couldn't be actually _inferring_ anything. No, she couldn't.

'_Don't be a little bitch with your chit chat,  
Just show me where your dick's at.'_

Randy felt his mouth drop open to the floor. Since when did Maggie listen to any songs like the one that was currently playing? Since when did she use words like dick?

It was only when she began to pull faces to accompany her dance moves (which weren't as suggestive as the song, or suggestive at all. It was like the Macarena had met an eighty year old and someone with a horrible twitch all at the same time) that Randy began to lighten up.

"C'mon Randy-Pandy!" She urged, moving a little closer. He did nothing but roll his eyes. "Join me!"

He made an extra effort not to make a move as she continued to give him cues to do as she was. 'Take it Randal!' just wasn't enough incentive. Not even when she moved close enough that their skin was almost touching. It sent a shiver all through him, but he refused to budge.

Exasperated at his lack of enthusiasm and participation, Maggie threw her arms in the air and began to pout.

"C'mon Randy! Just one little move. A little robot? How about the wave? Give me something to work with here!"

Randy raised an eyebrow, silently taking note of how adorable she was when she wanted something.

"You seem to be having enough fun by yourself." He reasoned, but Maggie knew that he was just trying to get out of it.

"Come on Randy. You don't have to be Mr. Big and Tough around me, you know that. Just bob your head a little, give me some side-steppin' action! It doesn't even need to be any 'Single Ladies' manoeuvres."

Giving in as much as Randy allowed himself to, he took her hand despite that it was no longer outstretched to him. Without any warning he twirled her around once completely until she spun right into him. He also made no effort to pull away afterward.

It entered Maggie's mind that this moment was so cliché and she should have just laughed it off, but with their bodies in such close proximity she could barely stop her breath from catching in her throat, let alone make any noise. Staring right up into his eyes as she had the night before, Maggie was once again at a loss for what to do. Randy was leaning over so that their noses were less than an inch apart.

"Is that enough?" He asked softly, his deep voice reverberating in her ear. Gently his hand had came to rest on the small of her back, the other still held her hand.

All that she could do was nod, a gulp that she fought to release sounded so loud that she thought Randy must have heard it, but none of his features gave it away if he did.

And then it happened. Randy began to close the small space between them.

Maggie didn't know what to do. She wasn't good at any of this, she could bet that Randy had kissed hundreds of women and she'd be spot on, she was sure of it. Her, though? There had been one boy, James Fletcher in her sophomore year in high school. She had braces at the time and it was horrible for her, so she could only guess how it was for him. It would be a complete disaster if she were to kiss one of her best friends, she just knew it.

"Randy, I-" She interrupted, but it seemed to be enough. He immediately stopped moving closer and squeezed his eyes closed. He did not move away, but instead rested his forehead against hers. Despite what had just happened Maggie felt completely at ease. Relief flooded through her body and she let out a light sigh.

"I just... I"

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart."


End file.
